THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Tom Hardy Discusses Bane's Costume & Following Heath Ledger
Tom Hardy is playing the main villain in The Dark Knight Rises, he is following the great performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Is he nervous about following that Oscar winning performance.
Like it or not Tom Hardy has some big shoes to fill. No, I don't mean Jeep Swenson's performance as Bane in Batman & Robin. I'm talking about being the next main villain in a Nolan Batman film. Having to be the guy that follows an Oscar-winning performance like the one Heath Ledger gave in The Dark Knight would probably be overwhelming to most actors, but not Tom Hardy.
Did you have any apprehension for being the guy that would follow Heath Ledger’s Joker?
Hardy: No, I don’t think absolutely. That would be putting myself in a competition with somebody who’s clearly brilliant. And it’s not a question of whose talent is greater or whose work is greater. It’s just trying to be the best that we can be, rather then trying to be better then somebody else. I’m not trying to be better than somebody else. What he did was amazing. That’s that. I’ve got a part I’ve got to play, and I want to play my part.
Can you tell us what it’s like to wear the costume?
Hardy: Hot. It’s very, very, very hot. Yeah. We’re all getting very hot. You think about the lads that are out in Afghanistan and Baghdad, and you think about the kit they have to wear, well then it’s actually not that bad, is it? But it is hot. It’s hard to breathe.
Can you talk a little bit about when you first put it on, and working with the costume department to get it right?
Hardy: You just put it on, you know? [Laughs] And then it’s on, and it’s hard to breathe. I can’t hear anyone, and no one can see me speak. So there you go. [Laughs] And the magic begins.
Do you have more respect for Darth Vader now?
Hardy: [Laughs] I grew up with it, the original Star Wars. And Darth Vader is really cool, isn’t he? Really cool.
Were you familiar with the character Bane? Did you go back and read up on him?
Hardy: I had no immediate knowledge of the world of Batman at all. I’m quite incubated. I just keep myself to myself and my dog. He’s not with me anymore. And if something comes in, it’s always a neat experience. So it started when I first got the part.
There is a brilliance to Bane in addition to the physical. Are we going to see that this is a smart guy, equal to Batman in intellect?
Hardy: All I can think of is you’re calling me stupid. [Laughs] I kinda want to flip the table up and throw you through the window. That kinda answers your question doesn’t it?
Click Here To Read The Full Interview At Collider.com
The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th 2012 and stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate.
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